Dogsitter caught napping

Open door allows critter to enter

Open door allows critter to enter

November 01, 2008

I know a guy who takes care of people's pets while they're gone. He's a wonderful guy, but he can be a little careless. He left a door open and the guy's home was invaded by salamanders, newts, tree frogs, lizards, toads and hedgehogs. That's what he told me, more or less. But at that point, he was feeling guilty about the mishap, and may have been exaggerating. This much is clear: We do know one creature got into the house. Initially, it was thought to be a mole. The home owner - let's call him Bill - now believes it was a shrew. Whatever it was, it made the woman of the house scream. My buddy - we'll call him Sparky - felt awful when he learned he left the sliding patio door open. He thought Bill and his wife were mad at him. He also lost his confidence. He was afraid the next home owner might find a cougar in his living room. When Sparky first learned that a shrew had entered Bill's house, he was on edge for a couple of days. He worried there might be more than one. After all, if you spot one shrew in your house, you might have hundreds. The strange little creature moved very fast, even though it has short little legs. There would be no taming of this shrew. Plus, with its pointed nose, it's not very attractive. So Sparky was susceptible to hearing Bill's tales of wildlife for a week or two. But it turns out that Bill, who lives a little out of town, has occasional brushes with salamanders and tree frogs. You can't blame Sparky for that. Over the years, he's taken care of dogs and cats for half a dozen co-workers. He does it mostly to be nice. It's not like it's a business venture. “I'm not incorporated or anything,” he says. People really appreciate his willingness to help. But for a while, when it appeared that Bill's house had become a wild kingdom, Sparky feared that his little sideline had come to an end. I don't think Bill was ever that upset. Bill told me this week he would use Sparky again. “I don't hold it against him.” In the pet-sitting community, Sparky's name has been cleared. Sparky sincerely regrets leaving that door open. But let's not forget that he was at Bill's house to take care of a dog, which didn't do much to remove the pest. “If that dog of theirs was worth a hill of beans, he would have taken care of that mole,” Sparky said. Jeff Bahr is the American News Dakota Living editor. He writes a blog three times a week at www.aberdeennews.com. His e-mail address is jbahr@aberdeennews.com. His phone number is 605-622-2320.